that includes fundamentally reforming the v.a. so every veteran has the right to choose his or her doctor. [applause] that includes protecting the second amendment right to keep and bear arms of every servicemen and women. [applause] and one of the most shameful aspects of the last seven years overhe president, over and again, sending our fighting men and women into combat, with rules of engagement that tie their arms behind their back and make it impossible for them to win. words, on january 2017 that will end.

[applause] america has always been reluctant to engage in military conflict, we are slow to anger. but when military force is needed, we should use overwhelming force, kill the enemy, and get out. [applause] in the days that follow we will take on the epa and the blm and b, and the alphabet soup of federal agencies that have descended like locusts on ,armers and small businesses

killing jobs across this country. [applause] >> [indiscernible] sen. cruz: thank you, sir for being here. thank you for expressing your views. one of the great things about the first amendment is it allows bernie sanders supporters to come to our events. you have a right to express your time 85%t at the same of the state of nevada is owned by the federal government. that will end if i am president of the united states. [applause]

there is no reason on earth the federal government should be the largest landlord in the united states of america. [applause] in texas the federal government owns 2% of the land and we think that is 2% to much -- 2% too much. my commitment as president we will transfer that federal land back to the state and back to the people of nevada. [applause] is anwould note that issue on which mr. trump and i disagree. mr. trump has said he thinks the federal government should continue to control that land, to own that land. i trust the people of nevada more than the bureaucrats in washington. [applause]

and in the days that follow, i will go to congress, and we will tax.a simple flat so that every american can fill out our taxes on a postcard. and when we do that, we should abolish the irs. [applause] you know, the media tries to tell us that the obama-clinton economy is the new normal. that stagnation is what we should come to expect, that there is nothing better.

lowest percentage of americans working today since 1977. wages have been frozen for 20 years, wages today are the same as they were in 1996. a legaldriven by immigration that washington refuses to solve, and that is driven by economic policy that hammered the living daylights out of small businesses. small businesses are the heart of the economy. hammert to stagnation, them like we have the last seven years. if you want economic growth, unchanged small businesses -- small businesses and we will see economic growth. [applause] single moms struggling to feed two, 3, 4, working part-time jobs, because obamacare doesn't let them work

full-time. seeing their wages driven down, all of that can turn around. and if we do that two major legislative initiatives i'm campaigning on, if we repeal obamacare and pass a flat tax, we will save millions and millions of high paying jobs. people are struggling to achieve the american dream. for me, just like you, the american dream is personal. it is not something we read about in a school book. it is personal to our lives and our families. dad.e i think about my my dad was born and raised in cuba. he was imprisoned and tortured in cuba. as a teenager my father found himself on the floor of a cuban

jail cell, covered in mud and blood and grime. his nose was broken and his teeth were shattered out of his mouth. he remembered thinking, i don't have any kids. it doesn't matter if i live or if i die. but thankfully. had different plans for my father. god had different plans for my father. he was released from that jail cell and he fled to america, coming here in 1957. he was just 18 years old, had $100 sony into his underwear. -- $100 in his underwear. a job washing dishes, making $.50 per hour. he worked seven days a week, he

paid his way through school. he and my mom went on to start a small business. i grew up in texas as the son of two small business owners. i saw the ups and downs and triumphs of running a family business. today my dad is a pastor, he travels the country preaching the gospel. [applause] when i was a kid, my dad used to say to me over and over again, "when we faced oppression in cuba, i had a place to flee to." if we lose our freedom here, where do we go? interesting, the gentleman made -- interesting comment the gentleman made, the liberals can go to cuba.

you know, obama is going to cuba. it would be nice if he just decided to stay. [applause] is trying to turn america into a communist dictatorship, there is one just 90 miles away. i am reminded of a comment ronald reagan made during the cold war. something liberals never seemed to notice, on the berlin wall, all the machine guns were facing one direction. no one was fleeing freedom saying let me into the oppression of communism. idiots,ell you all the if a category, whether it is the media, whether it is the academy, all the youthful idiots

that lionize the paradise that is cuba, have you noticed all the rafts are going in one direction? person in the florida keys that turns an automobile into a boat and heads south. freedom is real and it is personal and it is what we are here fighting for. [applause] now some of you may be wondering, can we do it? can it happen? us know, scripture tells there is nothing new under the sun. i think where we are today is very much like the late 1970's, like the jimmy carter administration. policy,led economic

same reckless and naive foreign policy. in fact, the exact same countries, russia and iran, laughingee -- openly and mocking the president of the united states. why is it that analogy gives me so much hope and optimism? because we know how that story ended. all across this country, millions of men and women rose up and became the reagan .evolution didn't come from washington, washington despised ronald reagan. do you want to know which candidate will take on washington? just ask the simple question, who is washington attacking?

revolution came from the american people, and it turned this country around. why am i so optimistic? because the same thing is happening again. all across this country people are waking up. nevada has aou, powerful voice in that process. away from thes nevada caucuses. tomorrow night nevada has a voice. historically not that many people come out. last cycle 32,000 people came to the caucus. everyone of you has a voice where you are speaking for ifdreds, if not house and's, not millions of courageous conservatives across this country when you come out tomorrow night and cast your votes.

and so if you agree with me that it is now or never, that the stakes have never been higher, that we are standing at the edge of a cliff staring down, and if we keep going the same direction , we risk doing irreparable damage to the greatest country in the history of the world. and i want to ask each of you not just to commit to come tomorrow night and vote, what to pick up the phone, to call your mom's. it's a good idea to call your mom anyway. call your sister or your son or your next-door neighbor, your college roommate, or your business partner. say this election matters. it matters to me, it matters to my kids. i want to ask everyone of you to bring nine other people tomorrow night. you have 30 hours to find nine

other people to come out. you will have voted 10 times. let me say to those of you who get 10 yet 18, if you other people to show up tomorrow night and vote, you will float -- you will vote 10 times before you turn 18 years old. if you look around at the men and women and everyone here, if everyone here brings nine other people tomorrow night, the people standing in this can literallyght change the outcome and control the outcome of the nevada caucuses tomorrow night. [applause] got 30 hours to let your

voice be heard and heard on a national stage, where you have an opportunity to make a real and meaningful difference. took jimmy carter to give us ronald reagan. and i am convinced the most long-lasting legacy of barack a newis going to be generation of leaders in the republican party who stand and fight for freedom. who stand and fight for the constitution. and who stand and fight for the judeo-christian values that built this country into the greatest country in the history of the world. thank you, and god bless you. [applause]

>> will i get a check for having to pay the penalty for

obamacare? will i get that from you? >> [indiscernible] >> how many do we need to defend that? >> [indiscernible]

>> i would love to work in your administration, and ima firearms lawyer in the data. -- and i am a firearms lawyer in nevada. >> [indiscernible] >> when do i get my check back? i can't wait. i don't have that long.

> [indiscernible] >> what a beautiful family. >> thank you so much. look at the camera. thank you so much. thank you. >> thank you for being here. [indiscernible]

>> i need everybody to backup, backup. >> trying to get out of the way. been thank you for being here. -- >> thank you for being here.

>> [indiscernible] sen. cruz: a good point, thank you, sir. >> you show those liberals [indiscernible] sen. cruz: you are exactly right. god bless you. i want to make sure i'm understanding your question. >> [indiscernible]

sen. cruz: that will and and -- that will end and i led --effort in the senate we need to protect our rights. >> i'm for security, but not military style. thank you. >> i've got my family in texas.

>> thank you. sen. cruz: thank you very much, how are you doing, sir? great guy. >> [indiscernible] thank you for your leadership. thank you, sir. we are doing this together, thank you.

good to see you. thank you for his service -- thank him for his service, tell him thank you. >> i will.

sen. cruz: what your name? -- what's your name? you have a camera? with dad here? thank you. thank you very much. excellent.

thank you. how are you doing, sir? thank you very much. >> [indiscernible] i'm paying. sen. cruz: thank you, sir. amen. thank you very much, god bless

you. thank you. thank you very much. i appreciate it. >> i am one of your volunteers from california. sen. cruz: thank you for being here, and god bless you. great to see you here. take a picture. thank you. thank you, god bless you.

>> you are from my hometown. >> wonderful. sen. cruz: do you want to get a picture? >> yes, please. thank you. thank you. too. absolutely. sen. cruz: thank you for being here. thank you very much. what your name? thanks for being here. -- what's your name? thanks for being here. thank you very much. >> [indiscernible] were doing it together.

thank you very much. thank you for serving. [indiscernible]

chatter]cernible

[indiscernible chatter]

[indiscernible chatter]

[indiscernible chatter]

>> 24 hours ahead of the nevada republican caucuses tomorrow night. ted cruz wrapping up his rally here in las vegas, and we will open up our phone lines here on c-span to get your thoughts about senator cruz and the others in the race. the lines for supporters of senator ted cruz and for all

others. to let you know that we will look for your tweets if you are on twitter. ted cruz did this event in las vegas right after he asked his national spokesman for his resignation. we will review news about that in a little bit. we have been patiently waiting for michigan -- good afternoon. caller: hi, that afternoon. thank you for having me on. 14:12, there is a way that seems right to the man but it is in a way of destruction. says the way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.

i want to declare and state that i support ted cruz 100%, and here is why. because our country is in a crucial position right now, and as a country, the american citizens over the years now have made foolish choices and voting. they voted off of popularity, foolish choices in voting. off a feel-good thing. it has destroyed our country. thing,untry for one needs to get back to god, and the only way our country will become one nation under god, again, is by putting god first and allowing a man after god's own heart to be in the white

house in the oval office, seeking god for answers. host: appreciate your call. next up, a republican color. what did you think about his comments? caller: i'll end up supporting trump, because two reasons. he said he did on know he was a canadian citizen until 18 months ago. you don't take a guy sophisticated as he is, supreme court lawyer and all that, he didn't know he was a canadian citizen? theand when he sure cheated black dr. carson, lied about him leaving the race, that was another one. but when they start showing this stuff about trump back in 1999, as if that is his current

position on things, ok. george reason is why bush drove me to be a democrat. i voted for obama, because the headlines about the war. everyone knew they knew that. host: did you vote for barack obama in 2008 and 2012? caller: no, i voted for him in 2008. i'm going to switch to republican again, back from democrat. but cruz is a phony from the word go. he talks about the bible, he don't fool an 84-year-old man like i am. it's sweet talk. host: we mentioned news ahead of this rally this afternoon. news was made that rick tyler, ,'s spokesman was asked to resign. -- a couples

more, too, from the associated press. he was asked to resign over tweeting a store that falsely alleged marco rubio insult of the bible. been all over twitter this afternoon. by the way, we will cover a rally at las vegas tonight, the donald trump rally, live on c-span. a ted cruz supporter improvidence -- hello. caller: how you doing? host: fine, tahnks. a follower of jesus message --s it touches my soul in heart. -- soul and heart.

he has an eye for the leadership the strong faith it takes to make america great. i believe the victory will be his. host: and that is something you feel has been missing from presidential leadership in the last few years? caller: yes. because ofhing persecution and freedom of religion and civil rights. host: ok. another cruz supporter in new england, springfield, vermont. david, welcome. caller: hello. i'd like to read this to you quickly and make a couple comments. 8.s is john if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth

is not in us. if we confess our sins, he is faithful in us, to cleanse us from righteousness. if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. i vote for ted cruz because i believe he is a christian. texas.om i know he is a texas because i watched him speak on the senate floor. to donaldmpare this trump or he has set a number of times that he has never asked god for forgiveness, and i know as a born-again christian that the only plan for separation is through jesus christ, our lord, and you have to go to god and confessed to be saved. if donald trump doesn't know that, then he is mistaken. but to come before the american people and say he is a christian when he doesn't even understand salvation, to me, is a wolf. host: senator ted cruz in las

vegas today ahead of the caucuses tomorrow, but he was back in washington over the weekend for the funeral for justice scalia. the senate came in this afternoon at 3:00. you can follow that on c-span2. to south carolina -- a republican color. who do you support so far? caller: right now, i am supporting dr. ben carson. the reason why is he is a true patriot and he wants to unite the united states. he has respect for the american people, he has respect for the constitution. the other candidates are just playing games, blaming each other. this country needs a strong leader, and that is dr. ben carson. host: he came in last on saturday in the south carolina -- so what is next for ben carson? caller: right now, the american people need to read about all

the candidates, because right now the media is not covering dr. ben like. the others amplehould have opportunity to speak freely and this is not happening. host: lots of coverage of ben carson and other candidates on c-span networks. if you miss it live, you can always see it at c-span.org. 10 more minutes of calls and comments on senator ted cruz and his las vegas appearance. will cover donald trump tonight live. let's go to brookfield, ohio. diane. caller: good afternoon. host: go ahead. caller: oh, ok. now that i have completed several ministers preaching to me, i love the bible i read it every day. woman who hasold been a democrat for 53 years, however this year, on the morning of the new hampshire

caucus, i switched my party allegiance to the republican party. trump., i am for donald when i first heard he was running, i thought, that p ompous -- i'll say mule. what is he doing running for president of the united states? i was born and raised near syracuse. i now live in ohio. husband was a republican all his life, and i'm sure on that day he was looking down smiling at me. however, i listen to every candidate very carefully. i search their records. and from what i have heard from donald trump and learned about his life, and yes, he doesn't military, he was in a military school, he was a captain, he tried to get in the

military and was denied for some minor medical thing. wheny, it offends me everyone thinks he is playing games. is a very strong man, is a very wise man, he's very intelligent, and i really believe in my heart of hearts that this man is the only one that can straighten it out, our government, and help our country. and i believe in him with all of my being. host: appreciate your call. the caucuses tomorrow in nevada. we go to northwest las vegas. let's here from martha, a ted cruz supporter. caller: yes. i'm voting for ted cruz. this man has not lied, and you have donald trump and rubio attacking this man, ok? trump is not going to do anything.

he is promising the wall, but he is not saying how he is going to do it. ted cruz has not lied. i have listened to this man go up in the senate and debate just about everything and concrete. -- and conquer it. donald trump would be a dangerous man, and rubio would sell himself to everybody. the only one is ted cruz, the only chance we have left. host: we mention that ted cruz, just ahead of this rally at las vegas, asking his national spokesman to resign, reportedly over tweets made concerning marco rubio. from buz weet zfeed.

that's what cruz told reporters. sean sullivan of "the washington post" -- and on the support side, in terms of endorsements, from marco rubio, ken jacobs saying -- a couple more calls here. chicago, a republican. who do you like in the race? caller: i don't want to vote for trump, because he reminds me of mussolini a little bit. host: did you say mussolini? caller: yeah. he reminds me of mussolini. handsot this expressiveh and talk, so -- but i have a concern.

host: yeah, just talk. caller: it's about his eligibility. i look at the constitution, three requirements to become president. cruz was born only his mother was a natural u.s. citizen, and ihis father was naturalized. it states in the constitution that both parents have to be natural citizens. i'm just expressing my concern about it. host: that raises some concern in your mind? caller: yes. host: appreciate your call. @c-span is how you reach us. another view from at georgia

court reporter responding to a glenn beck tweet. at there's more twitter.com/c-span. here we go to hollywood, florida. caller: good afternoon. yes. i i'm latin american and i'm 72 years old. i've been working in this country on the life and now i am retired. i would like to know if ted cruz reform is going to affect my retirement amount. host: if you think his reforms will affect your retirement? caller: yes. and my social security amount. host: ok. rochester, new york. next up, tim. who do you like?

i'm going with hillary. the media are on her too much. i liked bernie a first, but i look at the media, and they just hound her. she has been in the spotlight for years now. buts a bernie supporter, there's just too much. hopeda republicans, i trump wins because he is a clown. he don't say anything like what he is going to do or how he will pay for it. america's terrible, if it's terrible, leave. america is a great country. host: thanks, tim. in moments, we will show you bernie sanders from yesterday in south carolina. is in newl, steve who

highlands. caller: how are you? host: you are a ted cruz supporter, right? caller: absolutely. he is the only truly conservative republican running. these people who vote for trump, it just amazes me. he has no moral compass in terms of dedication to the issues. he's continually supporting democrats. i cannot believe people are getting hoodwinked on this thing, it is amazing to me. rubio is not a bad guy, i have no problems with him. but the trump phenomenon is playing on people's fear, and the worst thing you can do in the white house is how the person in charge is no humility, brash, idle threats like you did today. that's not with this country is really about. the president should have some humility, not be so verbose and over the top. host: i appreciate all your

calls and comments. we want to let you know that the house and senate are coming back from their president's day break. the house without tomorrow. the senate gavels in this afternoon with the traditional reading of the george washington farewell address, and debate on the floor this afternoon over the next steps in terms of appointing the replacement for only justice antonin scalia. news off they, floor tweeted by claire learnedl mysterof misery -- she has breast cancer. you can follow that on c-span2. our road to the white house coverage continues tonight. we'll bring you donald trump in a rally in las vegas, getting underway at 10:00 eastern, and our coverage tomorrow night, the republican caucuses tomorrow night in las vegas. it should get underway around midnight.

we want to let you know, saturday in the democratic primary. bernie sanders was there yesterday in greenville. let's take you there now. >> greetings, south carolina. [cheering] >> thank you all for coming out to support the political revolution. [cheering] mcdaniels,ett hailing from the great county of lawrence, right down the street. to increasee need

minimum wage and the need to revamp a broken criminal justice system. shortly after yesterday's gop looking the nation is to south carolina like we are a bunch of an educated voters. us. is not from coming together to the take down the confederate flag -- [cheering] the pulling together and celebrating the charleston nine. democrats everywhere looking for us to set the tone. let's redefine what it means to be a democrat in south carolina by voting for change we all can believe in. let's show the power of bernie supporters. we're going to take this nation.

[cheering] let's make history and turned this traditionally red state blue and show them what south carolina can do. go out and vote for bernie sanders. [cheering] gonna stop yelling? [cheering] benjamin, the

former president of the naacp. [cheering] >> we're here today because we feel the bern. [cheering] mostis may just be the supportive campaign of any of our lifetimes. [cheering] a choice point as a nation. either we come together and we move forward and make the future come faster, or we given to the politics that keep us divided and we keep thinking backwards. you look at the eyes of college students, you see young people who can't or member what their nation was in that war. them tell stories about

being worried that they will come out of college indentured servants. they turn on the tv and they see young blacktheir brothers being shut down by the police every day. [cheering] and then you look at the politics on cnn, and you say how is is going to help any of us? man from vermont starts a campaign - [cheering] a spirit that unites all of us. runs right in the face of all those who say no, we can't do better for our college kids. getting intoavoid

more stupid wars. no, we can't heal our nation, can.ays yes, we [cheering] >> yes, we must. we can make a better america. we can pull our nation together. we can empower our college students to go to college debt-free -- [cheering] >> -- and unleash the entrepreneurial power of our nation with everything they have. and we can get out the business of being in stupid wars once and for all. [cheering] this is a movement. it is a movement of pull our nation together. for those of us, like me,

whose family comes from the south, it is a movement to finally get to the place where working people, regardless of color, say we have more in common than we don't. [cheering] >> ladies and gentlemen -- danny glover is supposed to be in the house -- [cheering] >> is danny. here yet? here he comes. [cheering] >> [chanting] danny, danny, danny, danny, danny -- all right, all right! moment, what a moment. what a moment, as i walk through feel theou can't

bern. [cheering] >> think about south carolina. wheredown in st. helena, the first slaves had their first taste of freedom, right here, just after south carolina seceded from the union. think about south carolina. think about the penn center, were those former slaves got a chance to learn to read and write. think about that. think about where young civil rights workers for the first time came and had innovative meetings. that's about south carolina. [cheering] know that south

carolina has some other history is low. we know that 1/4 of this state lives in poverty. 1/4 of the state lives in poverty. we know that the incarceration rate represents 30% of the 3/4 of thosend incarcerated. that is the reality. we want to change that. this is what this means. it is about changing -- [cheering] changing south carolina, changing the country, changing our relationship. that is what this campaign is about. [cheering] >> we have a safenet. whoave a public servant has been that all his life, from the mayor, to congress, to the

senate. he has been there, working. it is not about the time spent, it is the substance you make out of that time. [cheering] >> whether it is against those who profit from our work, bernie has been there. i have the opportunity to come here and to meet him, and know that we all are a part of history. we make our history right here this moment. we make our history with the choices that we make, and what it is is it's amazing to know that you are building not only a movement, but you are building that movement -- we have never had that opportunity before. we will change this country.

every single one of us, we will change the country, and we need you, all of you, to be a part of it. to remain engaged, senator, president bernie sanders is talking about continuing engagement, sustaining engagement. that is what this is about. [cheering] >> ordinary people engaged. let me bring him to the stage. because, certainly, he belongs to us, and he belongs to us right now, and we have to work as hard as we can for the next president of the united states, senator bernie sanders. [applause] [cheers and applause]

sen. sanders: thank you, greenville. [applause]

sen. sanders: let me thank aaron mcdaniel for his very kind words. let me think dan, as you know, the former head of the naacp, one of the great civil rights leaders in our country today. [applause] sen. sanders: let me think danny glover. [applause] sen. sanders: you all know danny glover is one of america's great actors, and he is that. [applause] sen. sanders: but, unlike many other people, who have achieved celebrity status, when danny has done is used that celebrity status in the fight for racial and economic justice in our country, and i think can are all that he has done. [applause] sen. sanders: on saturday, south carolina has the opportunity to make american history and i hope that you will. [applause]

sen. sanders: you know, we go around once, we may as well make history as we go around. [applause] sen. sanders: we may as well do something that people will remember decades from today. [applause] sen. sanders: this campaign has taken on the economic establishment, all of the big-money interests, and let me tell you, wall street is getting nervous. [applause] sen. sanders: and let me also tell you, they should be getting nervous. [applause]

sen. sanders: we have taken on the political establishment. we have taken on the media establishment. and we are gaining momentum every day. [applause] sen. sanders: we are gaining momentum because the american people are tired of the same old, same old establishment politics and establishment economics. [applause] sen. sanders: what the american people are demanding is a government which represents all of us, not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors. [applause]

sen. sanders: this campaign is gaining momentum because we are listening to the american people. and we are listening and a way that other campaigns do not. we are listening to the millions of workers in this country who are making nine dollars or 10 bucks an hour and they cannot make it on nine or 10 bucks an hour. [applause] sen. sanders: we are listening to the elderly women in south carolina and in vermont, who are trying to get by on $11,000 or $12,000 a year, social security, and you know what -- it cannot get by on $11,000 or $12,000 a year, social security. [applause]

sen. sanders: and we are listening to the young people across this country, many of whom are here tonight. [applause] sen. sanders: and many of whom are being crushed by $30,000 or $50,000 or $100,000 in student debt. [applause] sen. sanders: and they are asking us, why do they have to be punished for decades, paying off that debt, for the crime of wanting to get an education? [applause]

sen. sanders: we are listening to women. who are tired of earning $.79 on the dollar compared to men. [applause] to women. sen. sanders: and then find it impossible to come up with affordable, quality childcare for their children. [applause] sen. sanders: and as ben and danny glover just mentioned, we are listening to the african-american community who understand that we have a criminal justice system which is broken. [applause]

sen. sanders: and today, has more people in jail, than any other country on earth. [booing] sen. sanders: you're right. you're right. we have 2.2 million people in jail, we spend $80 billion a year, locking up fellow americans. that is something that we must be ashamed of, and we will change. [applause] sen. sanders: this campaign began about nine and a half months ago, we were regarded by the media as a "fringe campaign." what the media said, they said, bernie, you come your hair really nice. [laughter]

sen. sanders: you have a real gq look. and i want to make public now, this is actually a new -- i just bought it the other night. [applause] sen. sanders: but, despite all of those attributes, what the pundits said is, you are not going to go very far for one reason, and that is, that in this day and age, to run for president of the united states, you need to raise hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. [booing] sen. sanders: and what the pundits said is that the only way that you can raise that kind of money is to establish a super pac and made millionaires -- [booing] sen. sanders: this is a smart audience. i like these guys. all right. [applause]

sen. sanders: because you know, you know, that would a super pac is about is millionaires and billionaires and wall street pouring huge amounts of money into the political process. well, we decided from day one, that we were not going to have a super pac, because we do not represent billionaires or wall street. [applause] sen. sanders: but, it is easy to be very noble and courageous, it is another thing to raise the money that you need. so, what we did is we basically reached out to the middle class, working families of this country, and we said, if you want a campaign which is going

to fight for real change in this country, help us out a little bit. we know you're hurting, help us out, when he backs or 50 bucks. you know what happened? one of the most amazing things that has happened in a very long time in american politics, and that is, over the last nine plus months, what we have seen is that our campaign has received 4 million individual campaign contributions. [applause] sen. sanders: that is more campaign contributions than any campaign in the history of america at this point in a campaign.

[applause] sen. sanders: and we all know what the average contribution -- >> [indiscernible] sen. sanders: these guys are really smart. [applause] sen. sanders: $27. [applause] sen. sanders: to paraphrase abraham lincoln, this is a campaign of the people, by the people, and for the people. [applause] [chanting "bernie"] sen. sanders: when we began this campaign, we were 50 points down

in iowa. we were 30 points down in new hampshire. and just about five weeks ago, we were 25 points down in nevada. a lot has changed in the last few months. [applause] sen. sanders: this is a campaign that has the momentum. and we have the momentum, not only in the democratic primary process, if you look at national polls, and you want a candidate who is going to defeat donald trump, you are looking at that candidate. [applause]

sen. sanders: and there were the nothing that would give me greater pleasure than, in fact, beating donald trump, and beating him badly. [applause] sen. sanders: everybody here understands that throughout our country's history, real change, only takes place from the bottom on up, never from the top on down. [applause] sen. sanders: the people who make the changes in the deepest sense, are not presidents, they are not supreme court justices, they are you. they are you. [applause]

sen. sanders: because what history has always been about, is people finding themselves in a moment in history and which they look around them and they say, the status quo is not good enough, we need real change. we are at that moment in american history today. [applause] sen. sanders: 125 years ago, when workers had no right, they worked outrageous hours, they could be fired for any reason, working people stop and they say, we are not animals, we are not cattle, we are going to form a union and we are going to bargain collectively. [applause]

sen. sanders: we are going to stand up for our rights, and that is the origin of the union movement in this country. and 150, 200 years ago, whenever, african-americans and their white allies said, racism and sexism and bigotry is not what this country is supposed to be about. [applause] sen. sanders: and against all odds, they stood up and they fought back. they said that that is not what america is supposed to be about, and way back when, women said,

you know what, we are tired of being second-class citizens. [applause] sen. sanders: sometimes we forget that 100 years ago, today, women did not have the right to vote, women did not have property rights, women cannot go to medical school, women cannot go to law school. women could do the work they wanted to do. but women and their male allies stood up and said, sorry, that is not what america is about. we are going to fight for change. [applause] sen. sanders: not so many years ago, 10 years ago, if we were in this room, and somebody stood up and said, you know, i think that in america are gay brothers and sisters will have the right to be married in 50 states in

america -- [applause] sen. sanders: the person next to him would have said, what are you smoking? [laughter] sen. sanders: which raises another issue. [applause] sen. sanders: the important point to be made, is that the only way change takes place is when millions of people stand up and say, enough is enough. america can be much better than where we are today. [applause]

sen. sanders: the reason that our campaign is gaining such momentum, is frankly, that we are treating the american people as intelligent human beings, who are prepared to hear some harsh truths about our country. now, i can give you a wonderful speech, make it all pleasant and happy and funny, but that is not the world that we are living in. and what i've always believed, that if you do not face up to the difficult problems, if you try to sweep them under the rug, you are going to go nowhere in a hurry. [applause] sen. sanders: what this campaign is talking about is the unpleasant reality that we live today with a corrupt campaign finance system, which is

undermining american democracy. [applause] sen. sanders: what democracy is about, if you have an idea and i have an idea and we disagree and we argue over it, but at the end of the day, whether you are rich or poor, you get one votes and i get one vote. democracy is not about billionaires buying elections. [applause] sen. sanders: and, what connects a corrupt campaign finance system is the fact that we are living today in a rigged economy. [applause]

sen. sanders: and what that means, as all of you know, is the average american is working longer and longer hours for lower wages, while almost all new wealth and income goes to the top 1%. that is a rigged economy. [booing] sen. sanders: and we are also living under a broken criminal justice system. [applause] sen. sanders: and what that means, is that if some kid in south carolina or vermont gets picked up today for possessing marijuana, that kid will receive a police record, and that record will be carried with that person for the rest of his life. [booing]

sen. sanders: but, if you are an executive on wall street, whose illegal behavior for us to this country into the worst economic downturn since the great depression, you do not get a police record, you get an increase in your salary. [booing] sen. sanders: what this campaign is about, is saying that it is wrong, it is un-american, it is unsustainable when the top 1/10 of 1% now own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90%. [booing] sen. sanders: that it is wrong that the 20 wealthiest people in this country now own more wealth than the bottom half of america, 150 million people.

[booing] sen. sanders: now, when we talk a about a rigged economy, let me give you just one example of what that means. it turns out that the wealthiest family in america today is the walton family who owns walmart. [booing] sen. sanders: now, i know that in south carolina, many parts of the country, you hear a whole lot about welfare abuse. about people ripping off the welfare system. right? well, let me inform you about who the major recipients of welfare in america is, it happens to be the walton family, the wealthiest family and america. [booing] sen. sanders: now, why is that? and the reason is, that walmart,

owned by the walton family, pays wages that are so low that many of their employees are forced to go on medicaid, food stamps, and subsidized housing. and you know who pays for the food stamps, the subsidized housing, and the medicaid? you do. [booing] sen. sanders: so, on behalf of the walton family, the wealthiest family in america, i want to thank all of you for helping them out. they are down to their last $60 billion. and they very much appreciate your helping them out. but, in all seriousness, i say to the walton family, and all of those corporations that are

paying workers subsistence wages, get off of welfare, pay your workers a living wage. [applause] sen. sanders: and when we talk about wages, let's lay it out on the table. the fact is, the federal minimum wage, which also exists in many, many states, of $7.25 an hour, is a starvation wage. [applause] sen. sanders: you can do the arithmetic as well as i can.

you can multiply eight, 9, 10 bucks an hour, 30 hours away, 50 weeks a year, and you end up with a sum that nobody can live on. [applause] sen. sanders: and that is why, together, that is why we are going to raise the minimum wage to a living wage, $15 an hour over the next few years. [applause] sen. sanders: and when we talk about an equitable and unfair him wages, i hope that every man in this room will stand with the women and demand pay equity for women workers. [applause] sen. sanders: now, every month, federal government comes out with a report on unemployment. what you see on the front page tells you, officially,

unemployment in america is 5%. that's right. [laughter] sen. sanders: the truth is, that real unemployment, including those with given up looking for work, or who are working part-time when they want to work full-time, is close to 10%. and youth unemployment, for kids who graduated high school, is off the charts. for white kids, 33%. latino kids, 36%. african american kids, 51%. [booing] sen. sanders: now, if anybody thinks there is not a connection between high rates of youth unemployment and the fact that we have more people in jail than any other country, you would be mistaken. you would be mistaken. [applause]

sen. sanders: so, here is a radical idea, are you ready for a radical idea? [applause] sen. sanders: as a nation, we are going to invest in jobs and education, not jails or incarceration. [applause] sen. sanders: today is about thinking big, thinking outside of the box. and one way that we have got to think outside of the box, is to and this disgrace -- into this -- and this disgrace of mass

incarceration in america. is incarceration in america. [applause] sen. sanders: when we talk about what is going on in this country, i hope all of you are listening to my republican colleagues and the good news is, i guess they have departed from south carolina. [applause] sen. sanders: but, you have listened to them, and if you hear them talking about family values, -- [laughter] sen. sanders: i want everybody to be clear about what they mean. this is not laughing stuff. what they mean is that every womanin this arena, every in this state, every woman in this country should not have the right to control her own body, i disagree.

[booing] sen. sanders: what they mean is that the federal government should defund planned parenthood. i believe we should expand planned parenthood. [applause] sen. sanders: what they believe in family values is that are gay brothers and sisters should not have the right to get married, i disagree. [applause] sen. sanders: let me tell you about what real family values means. today, in south carolina, today in vermont women are having beautiful babies, big day for the parents, pretty big day for the babies. [laughter] sen. sanders: but here is the point. if that woman in south carolina is working-class or low income,

and the women in vermont is low income or working-class, what happens a week or two after she has the baby? what happens, if she is forced to be separated from the beautiful baby and go back to work to earn enough income to take care of her family. that is not a family value. that is the opposite of a family value. it turns out that all over the world, not only in every industrialized nation, but in many poor countries, when women have a baby, they are guaranteed paid family and medical leave. [applause]

is virtually every other country on earth can do it, so can we. we are going to pass legislation. we are going to pass legislation providing paid family medical leave. [applause] when we talk about the economy, and we talk about high unemployment. it is clear to me that we need a massive federal jobs program to put americans back to work. [applause]

we should be hiring teachers, not firing teachers. [applause] sen. sanders: i was in detroit, michigan, last week, and i talked to some people from flint, michigan. what i heard from those people was probably the most depressing and distressing story that i have heard in my political life. i won't even go into all of the details about what is happening in that community, because it is so horrific. so unbelievable, that it could be happening in america in the year 2016. it's impossible to believe. the point i want to make is that our infrastructure, not just

in flint, but all over this country, all of our water systems, wastewater plants, roads, bridges, levies, dams, real, airports, in many parts of this country, that infrastructure is collapsing. that is why we should invest heavily in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, creating millions of decent paying jobs. [applause] sen. sanders: when we talk about what goes on in america, it is important to talk about the elephant in the room that many people choose not to talk about, and that is the greed, the recklessness, and the illegal behavior on wall street. [applause] sen. sanders: when the u.s. congress, against my vote bailed out wall street, they did so because of the fear that the big banks were too big to fail.

it turns out that today, three out of the four largest banks are bigger now than they were when we build them out to go -- because they were too big to fail. [booing] sen. sanders: turns out that the six largest banks in america have assets equivalent to 58% of the gdp in america, they issue two thirds of the credit cards, one third of the mortgages. in my view, when you have a handful of financial entities, so big, so powerful, so politically connected, what we must do is break them up. [applause]

sen. sanders: six years ago, the supreme court rendered one of the worst decisions in the history of the united states of america. and what they said to the billionaires, in wall street and 11 america, you already own much -- in much of america, you already own much of the economy, now, we're going to give you the opportunity to buy the united states government's, and that is precisely what they are trying to do right now. [booing] sen. sanders: one family, the koch brothers and a few of their billionaire friends -- [booing] sen. sanders: so you are familiar with the koch brothers. they will be spending in this campaign cycle, $900 million. so, here is the story, you get

one vote, they get one vote, but on top of that, they get $900 million to spend. that is not democracy. that is oligarchy. and we are going to stop that. [applause] sen. sanders: the other part of the equation that we have to deal with is the incredibly oppressive burden of student debt that is resting on the shoulders of millions of americans. anybody here dealing with student debt? [applause] we need to have the best work force in the

world. we have people who did well in school,-- in high wanted to go to college, were to do so for one reason or another. have theents didn't money. that is unfair to our future. and that is why i believe that in the year 2016, when we talk about public education, we have to be talking about making public colleges and universities tuition free. [applause] i am told that this is a radical idea. i don't believe it. germany.he people in talk to the people in scandinavia. who,to your grandparents,

in this country 60 years ago, could go to a major university virtually tuition three. other part of that equation that we have to deal is the incredibly oppressive heard of student debt that is resting on the shoulders of americans of americans. anybody here dealing with student debt? [applause] sen. sanders: i rest my case. what kind of debt are we talking about? 50? how much? $85,000. how much? $200,000. it's like a vermont auction. the young women here, raise your hand. she is $200,000 in debt.

her brother is $200,000 in debt. now, when you engage in this campaign, it is important to take a deep breath. and understand that in many instances the status quo does not make sense. people who want nothing more in life than to get as good an education as they can should not into $200,000 in debt. [applause] sen. sanders: i talked to a guy, and i mention this issue in every speech that i did, i talked to a guy in nevada a few months ago, 55 years of age, he

has been paying off a student debt for 25 years. he is more in debt today than he was when he took the loan out. and he is worried that when you get social security, they are going to garnish his social security to pay for student loans. this is crazy. this is crazy stuff. what we want is a nation which encourages people to get all the education that they need, not punish people. [applause] that is why, we have introduced legislation that allows people with student debt to refinance their loans at the lowest interest rate that they can find. [applause]

sen. sanders: now, i have been criticized like about 12 times a day, for being too ambitious. bernie, these are great ideas but in america, we could just , not afford it. we cannot do it germany and scandinavia do. we cannot allow our young people to go to public colleges and universities tuition free. we cannot lower student debt, it is just impossible, it is too expensive. [booing] sen. sanders: and then people say, well, bernie how are you going to pay for it? and i will tell you how. we pay for it through a tax on wall street speculation. [applause] remember this. please remember this. when wall street greed and illegal behavior nearly destroyed our economy, they went

to congress for a bailout, which they got. now, it is wall street's turn to help the middle class of this country. [applause] now i know, that here in south carolina, you have a state run by pretty conservative people. and i know that many conservatives refuse to accept science with regard to climate change. [booing] sen. sanders: i am a member of the senate committee on the environment and the senate committee on energy and i have talked to scientist all over this country, and all over the world. so, let me tell you, in south

carolina, regardless of what your leaders may tell you, climate change is real. [applause] sen. sanders: climate change is caused human activity. [applause] sen. sanders: climate change is already doing devastating harm in this country and around the world. that is the fact. [applause] sen. sanders: let me tell you something else, in terms of what science has said, they say that if we do not get our act together and a very short window of opportunity, this planets, by the end of this century, is going to be 5-10 degrees fahrenheit warmer, more droughts, more floods, more extreme weather disturbances, more a certification of the ocean. more rising sea levels, more

international conflict as people fight over limited natural resource is. now, let me tell you this, as well. the reason that republicans refuse to recognize the scientists, is not because they are done, not because they cannot read science. the reason has everything to do with a corrupt campaign finance system. [applause] sen. sanders: if a republican candidate for president came up here and told you what i just told you, that climate change is real, caused by human activity, on that day, that candidate would lose his funding from the fossil fuel industry, the koch brothers, the coal companies, and all of that. and i say, to my republican colleagues, worry less, about your campaign funds, worry more about your grandchildren and your great grandchildren. [applause]

sen. sanders: in america, we have, as you all know pass to the affordable care act, which has done a lot of good things for our people and i'm on the committee that helped write that. affordable care act has eliminated insurance company affinity of pre-existing conditions. [applause] sen. sanders: we have done away with discrimination against women were forced to pay higher premiums than men. [applause] sen. sanders: we have added some 17 plus million people to the

ranks of the insured. let me say, if i may, not that i want to be involved in local politics here, it is incompetence of all to me that -- in comprehensible to me that when we pass the affordable care act to expand medicaid in every state in this country, that the governor of south carolina rejected that proposal. [booing] sen. sanders: we do not know and we may never know how many people will die or get much sicker than i should have because they did not have the medicaid that the congress provided for them. i would hope, i would hope, that the republican leadership here would get beyond right-wing

sen. sanders: my view is while the affordable care act has done some very good things, we have got to do better. [applause] sen. sanders: so, let me stand before you and tell you what i believe. and that is, that i believe that health care is a right of all people, not a privilege. [applause] sen. sanders: i believe that it is wrong that we pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, that 29 million americans have no health insurance and many of you are underinsured with high deductibles and copayments. that is why i believe in a medicare for all, single-payer program. [applause]